April

April 2015

New UN websites & publications UN in General United Nations Seventieth Anniversary – new web portal English: http://www.un.org/un70/en French: http://www.un.org/un70/fr Spanish: http://www.un.org/un70/es On 25 March 2015, the Department of Public Information (DPI) launched a web portal in all six official languages. This site has been designed and structured to reflect an Organization that both celebrates its past, and looks towards its future. The website’s content has been curated from the UN system around the world and is broken down by simple categories. The organization of information will allow the specialist – journalists, delegates and students, for example – or members of the general public to easily find information, activities, and products related to the 70th anniversary of the United Nations. The website will be updated over the year with new content that integrates the work of the principal pillars of the United Nations, highlights of major achievements over the past 70 years, and interactive elements aimed at younger audiences.

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United Nations Library Vienna - Research Guides http://libraryresearch.unvienna.org/ The Library has created a series of Research Guides on subjects related to the work of the United Nations entities based in Vienna. The following topics are currently available: Alternative Development, Corruption, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, Drug prevention, treatment and care, Drug trafficking, Firearms, HIV and AIDS, Human trafficking and migrant smuggling, Maritime Crime and Piracy, Money-Laundering, Organized Crime, Peaceful uses of Outer Space, Terrorism Prevention, Wildlife and Forest Crime.

UN Research Guides English: http://www.unric.org/en/unric-library/29743 French: http://www.unric.org/fr/bibliotheque/3248 Spanish: http://www.unric.org/es/biblioteca/1561 We have posted this new page to serve as a one-stop access to all UN research guides issued by the UN Libraries in New York, Geneva & Vienna.

Peace and Security Partnering for peace: moving towards partnership peacekeeping (S/2015/229, 1 April 2015) English, French & Spanish: http://undocs.org/S/2015/229 “The scope of the present report covers primarily the partnership with regional organizations and arrangements in peacekeeping, rather than the whole spectrum of peace and security actions. It is focused largely on the partnerships with the African Union and the European Union, the two organizations that are explicitly mentioned in paragraph 28 of resolution 2167 (2014) and are currently the closest partners of the United Nations in respect of peacekeeping efforts.”

Security Council Concept Paper: Open debate on sexual violence in conflict English, French & Spanish: http://undocs.org/S/2015/243 The Security Council held an open debate on 15 April 2015, on sexual violence in conflict. The Security Council President for the month of April, Jordan, had prepared this concept paper.

Security Council Concept Paper: The role of youth in countering violent extremism and promoting peace English, French & Spanish: http://undocs.org/S/2015/231 The Security Council held a briefing on 23 April 2015, on the theme “The role of youth in countering violent extremism and promoting peace”. The Security Council President for the month of April, Jordan, had prepared this concept paper.

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Economic & Social Development Fostering Freedom Online: the Role of Internet Intermediaries (UNESCO) http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002311/231162e.pdf With the rise of Internet intermediaries that play a mediating role between authors of content and audiences on the internet, this UNESCO publication provides in-depth case studies and analysis on how internet intermediaries impact on freedom of expression and associated fundamental rights such as privacy. It also offers policy recommendations on how intermediaries and states can improve respect for internet users’ right to freedom of expression.

Information Economy Report 2015: Unlocking the Potential of E-commerce for Developing Countries (UNCTAD) Report in English, Overview in English, French & Spanish: http://unctad.org/en/pages/PublicationWebflyer.aspx?publicationid=1146 The report examines electronic commerce, and shows in detail how information and communications technologies can be harnessed to support economic growth and sustainable development. Electronic commerce continues to grow both in volume and geographic reach, and is increasingly featured in the international development agenda, including in the World Summit on the Information Society outcome documents and in the outcome of the ninth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization.

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq: Assessing the Economic and Social Impact of the Syrian Conflict and ISIS (World Bank) https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/21637 The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is facing an economic and humanitarian crisis as a result of the influx of Syrian refugees (starting in early 2012) and more recently the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in 2014. This book provides national and regional policy makers with a technical assessment of the impact and stabilization costs needed for 2015 associated with the influx of refugees and IDPs. The stabilization cost for 2015 is estimated at US$1.4 billion in additional spending above and beyond the region's budget. This estimate could significantly increase should the crisis persist longer.

Progress of the World’s Women 2015-2016: Transforming Economies, Realizing Rights (UN Women) http://progress.unwomen.org/en/2015/ Report in English, Executive Summary in English & Spanish: http://progress.unwomen.org/en/2015/download/index.html#report UN Women’s flagship report, released on 27 April 2015, shows that, all too often, women’s economic and social rights are held back, because they are forced to fit into a ‘man’s world’. But, it is possible to move beyond the status quo, to picture a world where economies are built with women’s rights at their heart.

-4Towards a water and food secure future: Critical Perspectives for Policy-makers (FAO / World Water Council (WWC)) http://www.fao.org/nr/water/docs/FAO_WWC_white_paper_web.pdf In 2050 there will be enough water to help produce the food needed to feed a global population expected to top nine billion, but overconsumption, degradation and the impact of climate change will reduce water supplies in many regions, especially developing countries, FAO and the World Water Council (WWC) have warned in a paper published on 14 April 2015.

The paper calls for government policies and investments by the public and private sectors to ensure that crops, livestock and fish are sustainably produced in ways also aimed at safeguarding water resources.

United Nations World Water Development Report 2015: Water for a Sustainable World (UNESCO) Report, Case Studies and Indicators: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/naturalsciences/environment/water/wwap/wwdr/2015-water-for-a-sustainable-world/ The WWDR 2015 demonstrates how water resources and services are essential to achieving global sustainability. Taking account of economic growth, social equity and environmental sustainability, the report’s forward-looking narrative describes how major challenges and change factors in the modern world will affect – and can be affected by – water resources, services and related benefits. The report provides a comprehensive overview of major and emerging trends from around the world, with examples of how some of the trend‐related challenges have been addressed, their implications for policy‐makers, and further actions that can be taken by stakeholders and the international community.

Human Rights Human Rights Defenders under Attack, 25 March 2015 (UNSMIL / OHCHR) http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/LY/HumanRightsDefendersLibya.pdf A UN human rights report released on 25 March 2015 reveals a catalogue of violent attacks and threats against Libyan rights defenders, across Libya – and in some cases even after they are forced to leave the country. Attacks, including killings, abductions, torture and other illtreatment, unlawful deprivation of liberty and death threats by phone and on social media since the escalation of fighting in May 2014 have been documented in the joint report by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the UN Human Rights Office. Armed groups across the country have targeted human rights defenders seeking to shed light on and address human rights violations and abuses. Most recently, prominent civil society activist Entissar alHassaeri was shot dead last month in Tripoli. Her body and that of her aunt were found in the trunk of her car on 23 February. Two members of the National Commission for Human RightsLibya, a human rights NGO, were abducted on 13 and 14 February in central Tripoli. Both have since been released, but other human rights defenders and members of civil society remain missing or have gone into hiding.

Justice through the Eyes of Afghan Women: Cases of Violence against Women Addressed through Mediation and Court Adjudication (UNAMA/OHCHR) http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/AF/UNAMA_Afghan_Women15April2015.docx Access to justice for women victims of violence in Afghanistan needs to be strengthened, a new UN report has urged. The report states that while there is a legal framework in place for such cases, there remain many factors hindering access to justice and redress for such women, in particular the lack of available civil remedies. The report - released on 19 April 2015 - identifies the factors that enable or hinder women’s access to justice in cases involving violence. It documents the individual experience of 110 Afghan women victims of violence who sought justice through the judicial system and through non-judicial mechanisms, including mediation, across the country between August 2014 and February 2015.

-5UNOG Library Research Guides - Human Rights Timeline: Commissions of Inquiry and Fact-Finding Missions http://libraryresources.unog.ch/coi The United Nations mandated a number of fact-finding missions and Commissions of Inquiry to respond to situations of serious violations of international human rights law and humanitarian law and to promote accountability for such violations and counter impunity. These investigative bodies have been established by the Security Council, the General Assembly, the SecretaryGeneral, the Commission on Human Rights (the predecessor of the Human Rights Council), the High Commissioner for Human rights and the Human Rights Council.

The OHCHR Library has published this new page in the "Human Rights Timeline" which provides a list of such fact-finding missions and commissions of inquiry, as well as information on mandating authority and links to the related reports.

Humanitarian Affairs 365 days of Resilience in Syria (UNDP) http://www.sy.undp.org/content/syria/en/home/library/poverty/365-days-of-resilience-in-syria/ Four out of five Syrians are now living in poverty, with almost half the population displaced from their homes, according to a new report released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on 18 March 2015. Published at the start of the fifth year of conflict, the report – ‘365 Days of Resilience’ – paints a grim picture of life in a country that continues to endure hostilities that have resulted in huge loss of life, and damage to infrastructure, the economy and livelihoods. In spite of the challenges, according to the report, UNDP continued to respond to the needs of the Syrian people over the past year, as it has done since the conflict began in March 2011. Over the past twelve months, early recovery and resilience interventions, initiated in line with the 2014 Syrian Humanitarian Assistance Response Plan, were scaled up in 14 highly affected governorates across the country.

Asylum Trends 2014 (UNHCR) Report: http://www.unhcr.org/551128679.html Annexes [Excel tables -zip file]: http://www.unhcr.org/statistics/2014AsylumTrends.zip The UN refugee agency reported on 26 March 2015 that the wars in Syria and Iraq, as well as armed conflicts, human rights violations and deteriorating security and humanitarian conditions in other countries, pushed the number of asylum applications in industrialized countries to a 22-year high last year. The Asylum Trends 2014 report puts the estimated number of new asylum applications lodged in industrialized countries throughout the year at 866,000, a 45 per cent increase from 2013, when 596,600 claims were registered. The 2014 figure is the highest since 1992, at the beginning of the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Conflict Zone Information Repository (ICAO) http://www.icao.int/czir/ The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) launched its prototype conflict zone risk information repository on 10 April 2015, responding directly to Member State recommendations which came out of the UN agency’s High-level Safety Conference in February. The new repository is accessible via ICAO’s public website homepage for representatives from States, airlines and the general public. As it becomes populated with submissions, it will provide up-to-date information on potential risks to civil aviation arising from armed conflict.

-6Missing Childhoods: The impact of armed conflict on children in Nigeria and beyond (UNICEF) Report: http://un4.me/1JMj8Hl Photo story: http://un4.me/1PR3Sx8 A new report released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on 13 April 2015 reveals that least 800,000 children have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the conflict in northeast Nigeria between Boko Haram, military forces and civilian self-defence groups. Released a year after 200 girls were abducted in Chibok, UNICEF’s Missing Childhoods reveals that the number of children running for their lives within Nigeria, or crossing over the border to Chad, Niger and Cameroon, has more than doubled in just less than a year.

The Risk of Disaster-Induced Displacement in South Asia (IDMC / UNHCR) http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/201504-ap-south-asia-disaster-induceddisplacement-risk-en.pdf This technical paper provides evidence-based estimates of the likelihood of disaster-induced displacement in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It attempts to better quantify human displacement risk. It brings together data from several sources – notably the Global Assessment Reports (GARs) and the Asia-Pacific Disaster Report of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), national disaster loss inventory databases (DesInventar) and Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre’s (IDMC) Global Estimates – in order to better quantify human displacement risk. Applying a probabilistic risk model, it is one of the first attempts to assess how many people are at risk of being displaced by natural hazard-related disasters. It is the first attempt to do so for South Asia.

International Law First report on crimes against humanity / by Sean D. Murphy, Special Rapporteur (A/CN.4/680, 17 February 2015) English, French & Spanish: http://undocs.org/A/CN.4/680 “The purpose of the present report is to address the potential benefits of developing draft articles that might serve as the basis of an international convention on crimes against humanity. Further, the report provides general background with respect to the emergence of the concept of crimes against humanity as an aspect of international law, its application by international courts and tribunals and its incorporation in the national laws of some States.

Ultimately, the report proposes two draft articles: one on prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity and the other on the definition of such crimes.”

SHERLOC - Sharing Electronic Resources and Laws On Crime (UNODC) http://www.unodc.org/cld/index-sherloc.jspx With criminal groups transforming into ever more sophisticated networks, and their ability to operate across borders increasing, the need for greater information sharing and cooperation is urgent.

To meet this need, UNODC has developed SHERLOC: an online knowledge management portal for Sharing Electronic Resources and Laws on Crime and disseminating information on how States implement the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC). SHERLOC aims to promote communication between States, police enforcement agencies, civil society and other organizations, and has been developed to easily provide access to

-7legal cases related to countries' implementation of the Convention. Since its creation a year ago, SHERLOC has grown to include information on over 1,800 individual cases and 2,100 instances of legislation concerning national laws. SHERLOC has been developed with a wide user base in mind: Governments, judicial agencies, law enforcement officials, legal practitioners, academics and more. It includes information on a range of criminal activities such as cybercrime, human trafficking, money laundering, piracy, and wildlife and forest crime.

New information material Single copies of the following titles can be ordered via e-mail: info@unric.org Sorry, nothing received this month.

NEW TITLES added to the library collection in April II.D

Trade, Finance and Commerce

Information Economy Report 2015: Unlocking the Potential of E-commerce for Developing Countries.

United Nations. New York and Geneva. 2015. xiv, 120 p. (UNCTAD/IER/2015) Sales No. E.15.II.D.1. ISBN 978-92-1-112887-1.

Online version: http://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/ier2015_en.pdf

Rapport sur le commerce et le développement 2014 : Gouvernance mondiale et marge d’action pour le développement.

Nations Unies. New York et Genève. 2014. xvi, 236 p. (UNCTAD/TDR/2014) Sales No. F.14.II.D.4.

Online version: http://unctad.org/fr/PublicationsLibrary/tdr2014_fr.pdf

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Economic Commission for Europe (ECE)

UNECE Countries in Figures 2015.

United Nations. New York and Geneva. 2015. xiv, 134 p. (ECE/CES/35) Sales No. E.15.II.E.2. ISBN 978-92-1-117084-9.

Data by country: http://www.unece.org/stats/publications/profiles2015.html

II.G Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Anuario Estadístico de América Latina y el Caribe 2014 / Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean 2014.

Naciones Unidas. Santiago de Chile. 2014. CD-ROM. Sales No. E/S/15.II.G.1. ISBN 978-92-1-057208-8.

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Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)

Incidences socio-économiques d'Ebola sur l'Afrique : Edition révisée.

Nations Unies. Addis-Abeba, Éthiopie. Janvier 2015. Xvii, 82 p.

ISBN 978-99944-61-50-9.

Online version: http://www.uneca.org/sites/default/files/publications/ebola_report_french_rev2_jan2015.pdf

MDG report 2014: Assessing progress in Africa toward the Millennium Development Goals; Analysis of the Common African Position on the post-2015 Development Agenda.

United Nations. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 2014. xviii, 140 p.

ISBN 978-99944-61-32-5.

Online version: http://www.undp.org/content/dam/rba/docs/Reports/MDG_Africa_Report_2014_ENG.pdf

MDG report 2014: Assessing progress in Africa toward the Millennium Development Goals; Analysis of the Common African Position on the post-2015 Development Agenda. Summary.

United Nations. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 2014. 18 p.

Online version: http://www.uneca.org/sites/default/files/publications/2014_mdg_report_summary.pdf

III.T International Trade Centre (UNCTAD/WTO) Forum de comercio internacional, número 4, 2014. 38 p.

“Promoción del comercia” Forum du commerce international, número 4, 2014. 39 p. « Promotion des échanges »

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International Law

Annuaire de la Commission du droit international 2009, Volume I : Comptes rendus analytiques des séances de la soixante et unième session, 4 mai–5 juin et 6 juillet–7 août 2009.

Nations Unies. New York et Genève. 2015. xvii, 256 p. (A/CN.4/SER.A/2009) Sales No. F.14.V.3. ISBN 978-92-1-233512-4.

Online version: http://legal.un.org/ilc/publications/yearbooks/yearbooks.htm

XIV Human Rights (including Office of the UN High Commissioner for HR - OHCHR) Rule-of-law tools for post-conflict States: Archives United Nations. New York and Geneva. 2015. vi, 48 p. (HR/PUB/14/42) Sales No. E.15.XIV.1. ISBN 978-92-1-154208-0.

Online version: http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/HR_PUB_14_4_Archives_en.pdf

World Health Organization (WHO) Bulletin of the World Health Organization: Volume 93, Issue 4, April 2015, p. 209-284.

Online version: http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/93/4/en/

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